AN: Sorry, my dears, today is a single post day. Enjoy the gossip as another little piece of the puzzle falls into place before the gentlemen head off to London...

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Darcy and Richard watched the carriage roll away before turning back to Mr. Phillips. The attorney suggested they go to his office to conduct their business. The three men started walking together into the main part of the village.

"I think we could all use a glass of something, although I have nothing to compare with what was in the hidden cellar," Mr. Phillips said.

"That sounds like a good idea to me," Richard replied happily. "Thinking about Jamison and Wickham always makes me want a drink."

"I am glad Mrs. Carlson was willing to come stand up with Mrs. Bingley for the wedding," Darcy observed. "She and her younger sister appear to be good friends to all the Bennet sisters."

Mr. Phillips nodded. "Yes, from what I have seen, I believe that to be true. It is a pity Sir William has played on that friendship for his own purposes. I hear he returned to Meryton yesterday, by the way and was not happy to learn that his daughter was married to Carlson or that it had been done just over the way in St. Albans."

"I will be interested to see how he reacts when they come in contact at church," Richard said.

"Oh, Sir William is too cagey to be caught out. He will have a story that puts all the blame on Mrs. Carlson and her husband. Of course, if Lady Lucas had kept her head last Sunday he could have pretended that he had just been away on business with Bill to help him, and there was no problem at all. I am sure he will try to deflect attention to the situation with the Bennet family, although the wedding today will prevent much of the kind of gossip he would have spread."

"I wonder if you could satisfy my curiosity, Mr. Phillips," Darcy asked. "Is there a reason why Sir William chose to persecute Mrs. Bennet? Even a bully usually needs something to help them justify their behavior to themselves."

Mr. Phillips stopped walking for a second, looking at Darcy carefully as if judging whether or not to satisfy his curiosity. Darcy and Richard also stopped, returning his gaze without concern. After a moment, Mr. Phillips nodded and began to walk again, prompting the other two to join him.

He said, "While I cannot claim to know any other man's mind, I think it has its origin in what would be considered very old gossip."

"Understanding that it is just gossip and speculation," Darcy said, "Will it harm anyone if you tell us?"

"It probably will make no difference one way or the other. Of course, you also must understand that I have a bias in my interpretation of the gossip simply due to my experiences with all the parties involved."

"Point taken," Richard said, a trifle impatiently. "We will not quote you in a court of law."

"Exactly," said Mr. Phillips, with a hint of a grin. "Well, did you know that Sir William and his forebears were originally shopkeepers in St. Albans?"

"I had no idea. He seems very settled and influential among the gentry here," Darcy said.

"That is a carefully cultured status he has built up over the last nineteen years. As a young man, he performed some service or other to earn the knighthood. His story of the event changes depending on the audience as such things often do. He always does his best to avoid mentioning his previous status, no matter what version of the tale he is telling."

"St. Albans is not that far off," Richard said. "Does he think no one will know? After all, you do."

"I helped process the paperwork when he purchased Lucas Lodge. He did not say as much, but I would guess he wanted distance, without going so far that his manner of speech would stand out. Plus, of course, when he decided to purchase an estate, he had to find one that was for sale at a price he could afford. He and Mrs. Bennet's first husband knew one another distantly. Jamison, the elder, was the one who told him that the estate formerly known as Barton Lodge was for sale. Sir William sold the family business, purchased the estate with the proceeds and brought his wife and the two small children, Charlotte and Bill, here along with his unmarried sister. That, I think is where the genesis of this feud really begins."

"The sister? Why?" Darcy asked.

"The previous Mrs. Bennet was with child at the time and nearing her term. Soon after the Lucas family had settled into what they renamed Lucas Lodge, disaster struck. The child came early, stillborn and breech. Jane and Lizzy's mother had a difficult time of it and died from the resulting blood loss and fever. Sir William immediately began a campaign to prompt Bennet to marry his sister, claiming it would provide the two young girls with a loving mother who was also young and strong enough to give Bennet an heir. He made it all sound like the greatest kindness in the world. It was more likely, given his other behavior, that he wanted to consolidate his position in the neighborhood by forging ties with one of the oldest and most prominent families."

"Was Mr. Bennet unwilling to marry during his mourning? Were the ties to trade too close? Or did he just not like Sir William's sister?" Richard speculated.

"Either of the latter two reasons could be possible. Bennet never said anything publicly to indicate they were, however. I do know he really does not like being pushed into anything, even things he knows are proper or that he actually wants to do. As to the first idea...Jamison died about a month after the first Mrs. Bennet did. As you no doubt know, my sister-in-law was expecting Mary at the time. With one son already to her credit, the odds were reasonable she might be carrying another, so Bennet quickly married her with the expectation that the child, if male, would be his heir and satisfy the entail on Longbourn."

"Leaving Sir William to resent Mrs. Bennet for taking the place he wanted for his sister," Darcy guessed. "He certainly knows how to hold a grudge if that is all he has against her."

"That may have been the start of his ill-feeling towards my sister-in-law, but I doubt it was the finish. The resentment just gave him an excuse. There was also, of course, the fact that the new Mrs. Bennet was fully cognizant of his more humble origins. By itself, that might have been enough. As Mr. Darcy pointed out, Sir William is a bully and bullies rarely need more than the perception of weakness in their victims as a reason to attack, although they tell themselves any number of stories in justification."

"Did he begin his campaign against her then?" Richard asked.

"At the time, it was so subtle it could not be taken for a campaign. A word here, a disapproving look there, nothing more. Of course, his own standing in the neighborhood was still precarious. He was busy establishing himself as the genial gentleman host of the village. An open break with Bennet would have been most unwise. Sir William's star was rising, but Bennet's was only just beginning to wane. He had the sympathy of the neighbors for having lost both his parents to illness just as he reached his majority. Then he had lost his wife, leaving him with two small daughters. While some people looked askance at how quickly he married my sister-in-law, most understood the need for a son to inherit the estate and approved of him assisting a young widow and her son. It was only over time, as Bennet's natural indolence and disregard for his family became apparent, that he began to lose the good opinion of those around him."

"Giving Sir William the opportunity to strike," guessed Richard.

"I would not call it a strike so much as a slow encroachment. The man knows the value of innuendo and meaningful looks. He never said or did anything actionable. I would have called him out on it if he had. I doubt most people would even realize their poor opinion of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet came from Sir William. The ideas just floated in the air until until everyone knew them."

"Why did he appear to support Miss Bennet and Miss Elizabeth?" asked Darcy.

"Here we are at my office," Mr. Phillips said. He climbed the two steps off the street and unlocking the door under the shingle with his name. The office appeared to be a few rooms attached to the main house with their own separate entrance. The family entrance was a few steps further down the building. Mr. Phillips motioned the two men inside before answering Darcy's question.

"I think his primary purpose was to create dissension and give people a focus for their contempt towards Mr. and Mrs. Bennet. Of course, that is only the perception of hindsight with a jolt of clarity from Mr. Darcy's confrontation with the man. At the time it seemed natural, especially since the girls were both good friends to Sir William's older daughter. There was no doubt that Mrs. Bennet was not treating them with any kind of loving care. Most people felt indignant on their behalf when it was pointed out to them by Sir William. It helped his case that they were also very polite and well-behaved young women who were liked by the community. I expect if they had been like Lydia few people would have objected much."

"I understood that his campaign became more obvious about the time Miss Jane Bennet should have come out in society," Darcy said suggestively.

"Ah, that is a case of correlation as opposed to causality." Mr. Phillips smiled slightly as he motioned them into what appeared to be the main room of his office area.

"You know evidence that we do not," Darcy guessed, stepping into the comfortable room with its desk and chairs arranged to give the attorney the prominent position while doing business with others.

"Exactly. You must not forget my wayward nephew. After all, that is one of the two reasons why we are in this office today. At just around that time, Tony convinced Bill Lucas, Sir William's oldest son, to help him make a raid on Netherfield's wine cellars."

Richard whistled. "They were caught, I expect."

"Caught, but without being shot at that time," Mr. Phillips confirmed. "One of the footmen put a stop to the plot before they actually managed to do much more than sneak into the kitchens. They never got near the wine cellar. The tenant at the time agreed to let the boys off with a fine for trespassing, but it made things hot for Sir William. He was trying to gain the position of magistrate as a third to Sir Daniel Banks and Mr. Palance, both of whom will sit judgement of these documents we will be filing. His son's misdeed was held against him and he was not granted the office then or later. The gossip at the time was fierce."

"So, Sir William struck back by widening the divide in the family and championing the two oldest girls," Darcy said.

"He began insisting Jane attend local events once it became clear Mrs. Bennet did not intend to treat her as if she was out. Their uncle in London was trying to convince Bennet to give him guardianship of the two older girls. Bennet would not be pushed into it, and so he played into Sir William's hand, only allowing one or the other of them to visit in London for a little while at any one time. Mrs. Bennet knew she would eventually need the goodwill of the neighborhood when it came time to put Mary and the younger girls out, so she grudgingly allowed first Jane and then Lizzy to attend local events. She kept tight control of them, however, and discouraged any man who took an interest in them, not wanting either girl to find a good match. I suppose she thought that if they married, Sir William would prevent her from bringing Mary out at all."

"That makes no sense," Richard said as he shucked off his greatcoat.

Darcy was not so sure. "Actually, in a twisted sort of way, it does. Neither Sir William nor Mrs. Bennet wanted Miss Bennet or Miss Elizabeth to be happy, no matter what Sir William actually said. Both young women were just the pawns in their game. If they married, Sir William lost some of his leverage, as did Mrs. Bennet. I suspect Sir William also enjoyed the frustration the young women endured as they kept getting pulled back and forth between two houses, one where they were welcomed, I assume, and one where they were not. He would have heard all about their reactions from his own daughter, who he also kept close to home as a pawn and victim."

"That is just sick," Richard said. "Even if his behavior did leave Miss Bennet free all this time so that I have a chance to court and hopefully win her."

Darcy nodded slightly. He felt the same relief that Miss Elizabeth was still available. Now that he was getting answers, however, he tried for one more. "Mr. Phillips, was the first Mrs. Bennet from Derbyshire?"

The man looked surprised at the question. "I do not know," he said. "You have to understand, I had no connection to the Bennets until my sister-in-law married into the family. I do not think anyone in the neighborhood knows much about the first Mrs. Bennet's origins. Bennet went away on a visit somewhere and brought his wife with him when he came back. Speculation pointed to some kind of scandal, but neither of them ever said anything about it. From what I remember, she was very much like Jane in personality and looks, although she was even more of a ghost than Jane sometimes seems in public settings. She had that placid smile and was very kind, but no one really knew her. Her brother visited a few times, but never mixed in local company. I do not think she had any true friend in the village to mourn her when she died. Why do you ask?"

"That is very sad," Darcy said. "I was tracking a possible connection between Miss Elizabeth and something I noticed she had that is peculiar to Derbyshire. I had not had a chance to talk with her about it and thought you might shed some light. It is of no matter. I am sure I will find a way to ask her later. Is the brother you mention the one who now resides in London?"

"Yes, Mr. Gardiner has a very profitable business in Cheapside as I understand it. I understand that he and his wife would have taken the older two in at any point, but Bennet would not allow it until now. On Friday, Bennet finally had me draw up the guardianship papers that would protect them from both Tony and the heir to Longbourn. He included papers for Kitty as well, if she chose to go with them, which she did. I would have looked after her myself if need be, of course. She is a good girl and was finally starting to pick up some manners instead of following her younger sister. She will be happier with her sisters. Mrs. Bennet no longer seems to care about any of them."

"Assuming she ever did," Richard said with a slight sneer.

"True enough," Mr. Phillips said. "Now that I have satisfied your curiosity, shall we get to the legal work you need to put Mr. Wickham in prison and do the same for Tony should he survive long enough for the transfer to be made?"

"You have no qualms about being the one to prepare the case against your nephew?" Darcy asked.

"I told you earlier, if had documentation enough, I would have put him away myself long since. I have been trying to get Bennet to rein him in for years. That is how I learned that the more you push, the harder Bennet resists. Tony has been careful not to leave debts here where I could gain control of them. And Bennet refused to charge or punish him for his thefts at Longbourn. As long as what you have is legally binding documentation, I will gladly use it against him. It may take us a few days to get everything in shape, get the decision from the magistrates and arrange the transfer to the Marshalsea. The sooner, the better."

"Very well then," Darcy said, pulling a packet of papers from an inside pocket of his greatcoat, which he had just taken off so he could hang it on the coat rack. "Shall we get started?"

"Wait a moment," Richard said to Darcy. "The first Mrs. Bennet must have been a Miss Gardiner. You mentioned a connection to Derbyshire and it just came to me. All the older men in Lambton refer to Oakbrook as the old Gardiner estate. When did your father purchase it?"

"About twenty-five years ago," Darcy said, starting to see the connection. "I was less than two and my mother was expecting again. Father said he purchased it in case the child was a boy, but then Mother lost the baby. He kept the estate just in case. I remember him once telling me that the purchase saved someone's honor. He never explained any more."

"I suppose we shall have to ask Mr. Gardiner about it when we finally meet him. For now, yes, let us deal with Wickham and Jamison. Then we can worry about the secrets of the past."

Darcy handed Mr. Phillips the papers. "I agree. Let us get to work."